Month: August 2013

EL PASO, Texas – UTEP went toe-to-toe with back-to-back NCAA Tournament participant Utah State only to ultimately succumb, 1-0, at University Field Friday evening. Kyle Dibb used a quality strike to put the Aggies (3-0-0) on the board at 46:55, and the visitors held on despite the Miners (2-1-0) enjoying advantages in both shots (13-5) and corner kicks (5-2).

A big factor in the match was the play of USU netminder Jeannie Woller, who notched her third clean sheet of the year after turning away five shots on target. Woller had some help, though, too from her stop troops. Miner sophomore Lauren Katada bested Woller with a header in the 69th minute, but as the ball was about to cross the line the Aggies’ Jessica Hoskin-Killpack cleared it out of harms’ way to the chagrin of the capacity crowd.

Miner GK Sarah Dilling was solid throughout the tilt, recording a trio of stops. The lone blemish was on the shot by Dibbs, which came on a partial breakaway after Jayne Robinson threaded the needle.

“We played well tonight but soccer is a game of chances and we didn’t finish our chances,” UTEP head coach Kevin Cross said. “We made a mistake, and they capitalized on us. That was the difference in the game, but we played pretty good soccer overall.”

There was an aggressive mindset from the kickoff, with the Orange and Blue generating several good opportunities within the first 10 minutes of the match. Senior Jade Babcock tested Woller 20 seconds into the tilt, but the visiting netminder came up with the stop. The rebound ricocheted to redshirt-freshman Aleah Davis, who misfired high over the net.

In the fourth minute a good sequence of passes led to Azia Nicholson being all alone just inside the 18, but her shot whistled high. Three minutes later the senior had a chance at atonement, with a bouncing ball giving her a great look deep in the box. Woller stood her ground well, however, fighting off the point-blank blast.

Play settled down a bit following the early flurry, with the Aggies’ shape improving. UTEP earned a corner in the 19th minute, but Gina Soto’s redirection off the service was high.

The Aggies’ initial look came in at 29:57, with a weak header by Karlee Campbell easily gobbled up by Dilling.

The Orange and Blue applied good pressure late in period, resulting in a free kick from the corner. Freshman Nicole Lindsay served a promising ball into the box but Woller did well to punch it clear.

The scoreless battle was broken up by Dibb early on in the second half, with a good thru ball setting up her alone in space. She took a dribble and managed to sneak the shot past a diving Dilling and just inside the right post at 46:55.

The Orange and Blue regrouped well after the defensive breakdown, and really controlled the contest from that point on. Babcock provided a great rip off a free kick only to have Woller dive to her right for the save in the 59th minute. The rebound tantalized the Orange and Blue faithful by laying loose in the area for a couple of seconds before the USU defense finally cleared it away.

Hannah Nicholson generated perhaps the second-best scoring chance of the contest 10 minutes later. The freshman used some fancy dribbling to create space and then rocketed the ball toward upper 90’s country with her left foot. Woller timed her leap perfectly, though, and punched it up over the net.

UTEP appeared destined to tie it up two minutes later, with Katada’s header sailing past Woller. It bounced right in front of the line before the USU defense was able to stop it on the line and then send it away.

UTEP will look to get back on track when it plays host to Abilene Christian University at 1 p.m. MT Sunday.

The groups for the 2013-2014 UEFA Champions League drawing was held in Monaco at 9:30am local time today. Arguably the most prestigious soccer competion on the planet next to the FIFA World Cup, this tournament will take place from September of this year until May 2014.

UTEP Soccer Continues Homestand This Weekend

EL PASO, Texas – The UTEP soccer team will look to build on its solid start to the season with a pair of home matches this weekend. The Miners (2-0-0) will challenge back-to-back NCAA Tournament participant Utah State (2-0-0) at 7 p.m. Friday before locking up with new Division I member Abilene Christian (1-0-0) at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Fans are encouraged to wear white for Friday’s battle of unbeaten teams and get chalked up in Orange and Blue by the Orange Jam Crew (Sponsored by Color Run). By purchasing an adult ticket, fans will receive one free admission for a child. It will also be “Family Faith Night” on Friday. Churches may receive free admission for their members by contacting the UTEP marketing department at 915-747-6065.

It will be “World Cup-Picks Up” day on Sunday, with all fans who wear their favorite professional soccer team or country’s soccer team jersey receiving free admission. There will also be a free post-game soccer clinic for all kids 12 and younger.

The Miners showed good form in the opening weekend of the 2013 season, toppling Utah Valley University, 3-2, on Aug. 23 before stifling Omaha, 2-0, on Aug. 25. The Orange and Blue attracted better than 500 fans in each contest, and it was certainly appreciated by head coach Kevin Cross.

“We are very thankful for El Paso’s support this past weekend,” Cross said. ”The city welcomed our team and gave us a huge boost to gain two big wins. Thank you to the fans of UTEP Soccer who were awesome last weekend!”

Four different Miners netted goals, with sophomore Angela Cutaia leading the way by providing the match winner in each contest. The tallies were the first of her career. Seniors Jade Babcock and Azia Nicholson also found the back of the net, as did junior defender Taylor O’Hayre with her initial career strike. Babock, Taylor Kidd and Mackenzie German each added assists.

Four of UTEP’s five goals were in the first half, allowing it the chance to dictate tempo. The Orange and Blue also held a commanding advantage in shots (33-16).

GK Sarah Dilling set the tone for the defense by turning away 11 of 13 shots face, while back-up and redshirt-freshman Keighton Allen was credited with one stop in her UTEP debut.

The overall effort afforded UTEP a 2-0-0 start for the second time in the past three years and the sixth occasion overall in the Cross era. There is no time for pats on the back, though, with proven Utah State and a rising Abilene Christian program invading the Sun City this weekend.

“We have a big test on Friday night with former WAC powerhouse and current member of the Mountain West, Utah State,” Cross said. “Utah State always has an awesome soccer program, winning the WAC last year and playing in the NCAA Tournament. We are going to need a strong effort from our team, and hope our fans come out to give us a big boost. Abilene Christian is a new Division I team with some quality players. They are a very up and coming program, and we will have to play very well if we expect to win.”

Utah State, which won four of the past five WAC championships, is now in its first year of the Mountain West Conference. The Aggies are unbeaten on the year (2-0-0), with home wins against Creighton (3-0, Aug. 23) and Utah Valley University (1-0, Aug. 26). Four different players have scored for the Aggies. Netminder Jeannie Woller has registered 10 saves in keeping a clean sheet in both contests.

USU holds a slight edge in both shots (29-25) and shots on goal (12-10) but it has been dominant in corner kicks (16-3).

The Miners lead the series, 3-2, but they did fall on the road to USU, 2-1, on Aug. 19, 2012, in the most-recent match-up.

ACU’s program started in 2008, and it has quickly developed. The Wildcats, formerly a division II program, have received division I status and will compete as a member of the Southland Conference. They opened up the 2013 season by toppling one of the very best NAIA team’s in the country, Oklahoma City University, 3-2, on Aug. 25.

ACU has a 26 on its roster, including 14 newcomers, but it has plenty of experience provided through its five-member senior class. Andrea Carpenter, who scored in the opener, is a player to watch. An All-America honoree, she holds the ACU career records for points (98) and goals scored (44). It will be the first meeting between the ACU and UTEP.

The drawing for the FIFA Under 17 World Cup took place earlier today. The tournament will take place in the United Arab Emirates on the 17th of October thru the 8th of November this year. Here are the are the groups for the opening round.

The effort caps a perfect start to the season for the Miners (2-0-0), who claimed the Fourth-Annual Border Bash title in the process. The Orange and Blue outshot the visitors, 16-5, including 9-4 in shots on goal. Goalkeepers junior Sarah Dilling (three) and redshirt-freshman Keighton Allen (1) turned away all the chances by the Mavericks (0-2-0) to record the squad’s first shutout of the season.

Jade Babcock, who scored in the opener, was credited with a helper on Cutaia’s strike. It was Cutaia’s team-leading second goal on the year while it was O’Hayre’s first career tally.

“I thought we played better than Friday night,” UTEP head coach Kevin Cross said. “We improved but we still have some things to work on. I’m proud of the team.”

The Miners are off to a 2-0-0 start for the second time in the past three years, and the sixth occasion overall during the Cross era.

Omaha generated a good opportunity in the 10th minute with a cross from the left wing bouncing to the foot of Chelsi Rohloff. She one-timed it to the far post but Dilling’s cat-like reflexes steered the shot wide.

The home side cleared away the bouncing ball & then started to assume control of the contest through its play in the midfield. Crisp passing and good movement softened UNO’s shape, and the Orange and Blue capitalized.

Babcock won a ball and space before threading the needle to Cutaia, who had set up shot deep in the area. She quickly controlled the pass, spun and laced the shot past a helpless Meaghan Clark.

UTEP continued to dictate tempo following the tally, but Clark was on top of her game. Her best play of the period was in the 23rd minute, with Babcock’s shot being stymied. Lindsay had delivered a brilliant ball to Babcock, who used her speed to get on top of Clark.

Overall the Orange and Blue peppered Clark with 10 shots, including seven on target, in the first frame. That relentless pressure paid off in the final minutes of the stanza, off a set piece. O’Hayre rocketed a free kick from 45 yards out past a flat-footed and stunned Clark into the back of the net.

Allen replaced Dilling to start the second half, making her Miner debut in the process. She was called upon for the first time at 55:16, calmly collecting a try by Rohloff.

Her mates on the pitch made her job easy the rest of the way, with good possession and marking limiting the Mavs to just two total shots in the stanza. UTEP also showed moxie by milking the clock through staggering its substitutions and winning a plethora of throw-ins.

UTEP will continue its season-opening six-match homestand with a pair of games in the ensuing weekend. The Miners will play host to Utah State, which has made consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, at 7 p.m. MT Friday and Abilene Christian at 1 p.m. MT on Sept. 1.

Last night the UTEP Soccer Team won their season opener defeating Utah Valley 3-2. The Miners overall performance fluctuated during the 90 minutes of play, but at the end UTEP was able to acquire their first victory of the 2013 season.

5 Thoughts:

1)New year, same aggressiveness. This team is physical, rough what every you wanna call it but all the members go to the ball flat out. Not only that, they are smart about when to make a tackle on the opposition. Especially Babcock, Linger, and Asuchak.

2)Attack from the flanks is promising. I love how the midfielders and flanking defenders moved in the the offensive one-third at the drop of the hat and did so consistently for the entire game. However, players with the ball have to look out for these attacking teammates and get the ball to them with greater frequency.

3)Goalkeeper is solid. Sarah Dilling only continues to improve. She made a couple of game saving saves late in the second half to keep the game tied until the home side pulled out the victory with 4 minutes left in the game. Her understanding for the position continues to grow to accompany her natural talent and it shows.

4)The team needs to react to Jade Babcock. Something I noticed last year, I also noticed last night. This team sometimes freezes when Babcock is trying to create a scoring opportunity in the offensive one-third of the pitch and just watch her go up against the opposing team's defensive line.

5)Azia Nicholson is the engine that powers this UTEP team. This will be a repetitive thought throughout the season. She played all 90 minutes yesterday. She was active in all 3 sectors of the pitch (offensive, midfield, and defensive) and was a factor. She scored the second gol of the game. Enough said.

After scoring a gol in the first 30 seconds of the game, and then other one in the 33rd minute Indios UACJ allowed 3 gols in the second half to lose the Apertura 2013 season opener by a score of 3-2 to Alacranes de Durango.

It was tale of two different teams for the Indios in the first and second half.

The first half was dominated by the team from the borderland. The Tribe controlled the ball in all sectors of the pitch and generated constant scoring threats.

Simply put, in the second half it appeared that the team ran out of gas. The opposition took control of the ball and was on a mission to get back into the game right from the start of the second half. The gols scored by Durango in the 51st, 80th, and 89th minute were of little surprise to the crowd that was present at Benito Juarez Olympic Stadium.

Next up for the Indios, they will travel to Zapopan, Jalisico to face Tecos on Saturday, 10 am local time.

Yesterday during the halftime of the MLS All-Star Game, commissioner Don Garber went on ESPN's telecast and discussed some of the latest ongoing with the MLS. It definitely made for an interesting halftime show.

The first announcement that Garber gave were the plans for the MLS to expand by 4 more teams by the end of this decade. This would bring the MLS to a total of 24 teams. However the commissioner did not say what cities or markets would be in consideration for these 4 franchises.

There are many rumors as to where these franchises may go, the strongest of which is in the state of Florida with world soccer superstar David Beckham being part owner along with Bolivian billionaire Marcelo Claure.

Many also seem to believe that a city in the southwest region of the United States is a strong possibility.

Commissioner Garber also commented on the latest PR problems that Chivas USA has been having after an HBO Real Sports report brought to light an ongoing lawsuit the team is facing for alleged discrimination.

Carefully choosing his statements, Garber sided with the MLS franchise making mention of key personnel and their roles that are not of Mexican, Mexican-American, and Hispanic descent that are currently with Chivas USA.

He went on to say that MLS is closely working with owners Jorge Vergara and his wife Angelica Fuentes help move this team forward both on and off the pitch because the original ideas that Chivas USA was founded on have not worked.

This is evident from both a business standpoint as well as the team's performance on the field. Chivas USA is currently in last place in the conference with only 4 wins this season and has one of the poorest attendance figures in the league.